Battle of Woodford

The Battle of Woodford (18 June 1864) was a battle of the American Civil War fought between the Union and the Confederate States of America in Woodford in Caroline County, Virginia. It was a small skirmish, and the Union was victorious against the rebels.

Prelude
The Confederate States of America went on the defensive as the Union launched its Overland Campaign against Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, and Ulysses S. Grant engaged the Confederates at places such as the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, and Cold Harbor. His armies constantly outmaneuvered the Confederates and advanced farther south; the Union division of Gabriel B. Chapman was halted by Joshua F. Harper's division along a road near the town of Woodford in Caroline County, Virginia. Both armies were a mixture of regulars in militia with one unit of artillery each, and they met along the road.

Battle
The Union army moved into position on the left of the road, and they fired at the Confederate regiments when they moved into range. The Union artillery were never engaged with the Confederates, and the encounter was mainly between the infantry. Fortunately for the Union, their soldiers were able to engage the enemy units in a killzone, and the Confederates were fired on from multiple sides. The result was a victory for the Union, whose troops scared off the two Confederate general units on the battlefields. Woodford was a minor victory for the Union, and Chapman's division continued the path farther south to assist Grant's army.